


I Think I Love You

by SecretFangirl98



Category: Fairy Tail
Genre: Falling In Love, M/M, Protective Natsu Dragneel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-22
Updated: 2020-03-22
Packaged: 2021-02-28 20:42:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,041
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23253394
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SecretFangirl98/pseuds/SecretFangirl98
Summary: Natsu always seemed to want to fight, no matter what. He always found an excuse to start a fight even one he couldn’t win. Except over the years his guild mates notice that there’s one day where Natsu steps back from fighting Gray, his so called sworn enemy. It takes a while before anybody truly realises why.
Relationships: Natsu Dragneel/Gray Fullbuster
Comments: 2
Kudos: 219





	I Think I Love You

Natsu always seemed to want to fight, no matter what. He always found an excuse to start a fight even one he couldn’t win. Except over the years his guild mates notice that there’s one day where Natsu steps back from fighting Gray, his so called sworn enemy. It takes a while before anybody truly realises why.

*Erza* 

Erza was used to walking into the guild and expecting to have to get between Gray and Natsu, they may all be young but between the three of them, she was certainly more mature. 

She pushed the guild hall doors open, mouth already open to begin her telling off when her steps faltered, Gray and Natsu were both there, and they weren’t fighting. Although Gray was certainly trying to initiate something.

“Come on, flame brain! Scared?” The ice mage yelled.

“Nah, I just don’t feel like it.” Natsu shrugged.

But the problem there was anybody who knew Natsu, knew he always felt like fighting, they would noticed the way his fists clenched slightly, and the flicker of a flame in his eyes, but he didn’t fight, instead he walked away, a blue exceed following close behind asking him what was wrong.

Erza was so surprised to see him walking away she missed the way Gray’s shoulders dropped, a look of sadness in his eyes. He disappeared from the guild until the next morning.

For the briefest of moments the next day Erza had hope that the two boys had grown up and become friends, that soon disappeared when she entered the guild in time to see Natsu landed a blow to Gray’s stomach, sending him flying.

She was so angry she didn’t even question why for one day, Natsu didn’t fight.

*Lisanna* 

Lisanna knew Natsu better than anybody in the guild, they were best friends, and while Natsu was a handful, she really did care for him.

Most days she found Natsu fighting Gray, sometimes even Elfman when he decided to get involved, or Guildarts, although that was more one sided and normally ended with Natsu on his back and exhausted.

She had grown used to the fighting seeing Natsu picking a fight with Mirajane and Elfman just outside the guildhall was nothing new, and when she saw Gray walking over she knew that Natsu would become even more riled up.

Or so she thought.

Suddenly Natsu has stepped back, smiled at Gray and raised his hands in surrender.

“Actually, I think I’m going to get done food, Lisanna is probably waiting for me.” 

Lisanna could only stare in surprise, as Natsu walked away from the fight, Gray didn’t stick around for long either but she wasn’t sure where he disappeared too.

“Hey, Natsu. What was that about?” She asked when the dragon slayer found her. “I’ve never seen you pass up on an opportunity to fight Gray.”

“Eh, just didn’t feel like it today. I’ll get him tomorrow.”

And true to his word, the next day Lisanna found the two in a fist fight the next day before they had even had breakfast.

She forgot to ask why for one day Natsu hadn’t wanted to fight, nor did she realise that it wasn’t first time this had happened, or that there seemed to be a pattern.

*Happy*

Happy hadn’t been around long, Natsu had hatched him only two years ago, and while he was still learning he knew everything there was to know about Natsu, the dragon slayer trusted him with all his secrets and Happy would trust him with his, if he had any that was.

The main secret Happy knew was that Natsu didn’t hate Gray, which most people wouldn’t guess considering they fought every chance they had, but that was just who Natsu was. He didn’t always know how to express his feelings, Happy had a feeling that was due to being raised by a dragon, although he couldn’t say that our loud, Natsu was very protective of Igneel’s parenting skills.

So, while Natsu didn’t hate the ice mage, he still fought with him, it was how their relationship worked and Happy wasn’t sure it would ever change.

“Hey, it’s Gray!” Happy said, flying just above Natsu’s head when he spotted the other wizard ahead. “You gonna fight with him? Cause if you are I’m going ahead.”

Natsu stayed quiet as he looked at Gray, sat under a tree as he stared at the ground. “Not today, Happy, come on.” He finally said.

Happy almost fell from the sky at that. “What? Why not?”

“Look at him, he looks sad. No point fighting him, come on.”

Happy didn’t argue and followed Natsu, he didn’t know how Natsu could tell Gray was sad from so far away and he didn’t press, if Natsu wasn’t going to fight, he probably had a good reason for it. Besides, he was sure it wouldn’t last long.

(It didn’t.)

*Lucy* 

Lucy hadn’t been at the guild for long, a handful of months, and so far a lot had happened. 

It was her home, an unconventional one at that, a home that often ended up destroyed some way or another, whether from an enemy or just members of the guild deciding to fight.

If a room got burnt because Natsu got fired up, or frozen because he had managed to piss off Gray, nobody even batted an eye at it anymore. 

Nothing really surprised her around Fairy Tail anymore, until one day when half the male guild members were deciding to fight and Gray walked in, he looked like he hadn’t slept, but it didn’t stop Elfman immediately trying to drag him into a fight, what caught Lucy by surprise was Natsu jumping in front of Gray and taking the hit, it sent him flying across the room causing the room to fall silent, Gray kept walking. 

“Natsu!” Lucy shouted.

The dragon slayer merely shook it off. “I’m done for the day, come on, Lucy! Let’s go start on that job.”

The celestial wizard stared before nodding, quickly chasing after him. 

“What was that about? You’ve never taken a hit for Gray before.”

“Did you see? Guy looked like crap. Don’t think he even saw it coming.”

Lucy couldn’t help but smile, she had thought the two truly hated each other. Now she knew the truth, deep down Natsu did care about him, he just didn’t want to say the words.

*Gray. Finally.*

Gray hadn’t really noticed that there seemed to be a day every so often where Natsu refused to fight him, it was always on a day he was too distracted to notice. That was going to change.

Juvia was really getting to him today, he just wanted to be left alone and even the salamander seemed to he understanding that, he hadn’t picked a fight with him today, and he was grateful for it, all he needed now was for Juvia to back off so he could have some peace.

Instead she was hounding him with gifts and love confessions, he was ready to snap when something, or somebody, stood between them.

“Leave him alone, Juvia.” Natsu said, glancing back at Gray or relaxed ever so slightly.

“No. Gray, my love, he wants me here. You should go.”

“Look, Juvia, you can go back to telling him you love him tomorrow, but even I know today is a day where you need to back off.”

“I’m staying. Tell him, Gray!”

Gray looked up at Juvia who was staring at him and he sighed, standing up.

“Leave me alone.” 

He didn’t know why Natsu was helping him and he didn’t asked, he turned on his heel and left the guild, not even noticing that it was snowing until he stopped walking near the river. Somewhere along the way he had lost his shirt.

He heard footsteps behind him, and he sighed.

“Juvia, please. Not today.”

“I’m not Juvia, Ice Princess.” Natsu huffed standing beside Gray, arms crossed over himself as he shivered. 

“Just wanted to check on you.”

“Why?” Gray asked, looking away from Natsu.

“I know what today is. I may have a bad memory but I always remember today.”

Gray couldn’t help but feel surprised, Natsu forgot everything, major things and small things, it didn’t matter, Natsu would forget it.

“It’s the one day where I don’t fight you, where I try to get the others to leave you alone. I know today is the anniversary of Ur’s death, and I just wanted to check on you.”

“What did you mean you don’t fight me?” Gray thought about it, thinking back to all the anniversaries he had gone through and what had happened on those days. There had never been a fight. Years ago he had tried but Natsu had never been in the mood, now he knew why.

Natsu held back one day every year and now he knew why. It was for him.

“I’ll leave you alone, but don’t stay out here too long. You may be an ice wizard, but you can still freeze yourself to death.” 

Gray was still processing everything, he didn’t even realised a strange warmth being wrapped around his neck or Natsu walking away until he was almost out of sight.

“Wait! Why would you do it? You hate me.” Gray called after him.

“Actually... I think I love you.” It was all Natsu had to say to render Gray speechless again before he disappeared and Gray sank to the floor, not caring about the snow, he dragged a hand over his face, frowning when his hand hit something soft. He looked down only to only be more surprised because of Natsu.

Natsu had somehow managed to get his scarf around Gray’s neck, the scarf he cared so deeply about and was rarely seen without.

“Idiot.” He muttered, but even as he said it, for the first time on this day, he smiled.

-

The next morning the guild was loud and lively as usual, Natsu was sat at the bar with Happy who seemed to be yelling. 

“Just tell me, Natsu!”

“Hey, what’s going on?” Lucy asked as she sat down beside him.

“Natsu hadn’t got his scarf and he won’t tell me why or where is it! It’s weird.”

“It’s fine, Happy.”

“Seriously? I’ve never seen you without that scarf. I thought it was permanently attached to you.” Lucy said.

“See! Lucy gets it.”

Before Natsu could defend himself the guild door opened and in walked Gray, nobody really paid any attention, he normally went unnoticed unless he managed to strip on his walk there.

“Is that Natsu’s scarf?” Erza asked. “That’s a step too far, Gray. I know you two don’t get along but you shouldn’t take something so important to him.” 

“Erza’s right.” Lisanna added, hands on her hips.

“Yeah, Gray, even Happy’s riled up cause it’s missing.” Lucy called from the bar.

“Wait…” Gray started but was cut off by Erza trying to pull the scarf from him.

“Hey! Hands off. I gave it to him.” Natsu said, standing up. “So how about you all butt out.”

The dragon slayer made his way over as Gray unwrapped the scarf from his neck, handing it to him with a small smile. 

“Thanks, flame brain.”

“Any time, ice princess.”

The two were so distracted they didn’t notice the guild staring at them.

“What’s going on?” Lucy muttered.

“Natsu’s in love!” Happy said, and while he didn’t shout it, the guild hall was too quiet for it to go unnoticed. “Oh no,”

Natsu tensed, he may have admitted it to Gray but the ice mage hadn’t said it back and he really didn’t want to get rejected in front of everybody, he turned away with all the intentions of running, but a cold hand on his wrist stopped him.

“Hey, Natsu. You didn’t give me a chance to say anything back to you yesterday.”

Natsu tried to say something back but cold lips against his managed to cut him off, he didn’t even hear the yelling off his guilmates, too distracted by holding on to Gray and kissing back.

“You know, that’s not actually saying something.” Natsu whispered as they finally pulled away.

Gray rolled his eyes. “I think I love you too.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! Haven’t written in a while and this is my first attempt at Fairy Tail! Let me know what you think.


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